MEEKER | For middle school wrestler Arionah Gutierrez, attending a summer wrestling camp in Baggs wasn’t just about refining her technique — it was about building confidence, meeting new people, and learning from some of the sport’s best.
This year’s camp marked the fifth year of Champ Camp, a grassroots effort started by organizer Anthony Craft. The camp brought in standout instructors including Colorado Mesa University Assistant Coach Bo Pipher, and University of Wyoming wrestlers redshirt freshmen Tucker Bowen and Seamus Casey, along with redshirt junior Antonio Avila and junior Cole Brooks, to work with young athletes from across the region. Gutierrez described her experience with the camp and all the memories that she made along the way.
“It was a pretty cool experience, for sure,” Gutierrez said. “Getting to meet someone I hadn’t met before and just getting to have that experience was awesome.”
Throughout the two-day camp, wrestlers drilled a variety of techniques and takedowns. For Gutierrez, one move in particular stood out as a challenge. “For me, it was working on the Fireman’s carry,” she said.
Still, she said the opportunity to push herself paid off. She picked up several new techniques she’s excited to try this upcoming season — especially cradles, which she hadn’t focused on before. “I’d probably say a lot of the cradles we learned,” she said.
While many of the drills were familiar, the camp introduced some takedown techniques that were new to her and helped her grow. “I wouldn’t say a bunch was hard, because I had drilled a lot of it before,” she said. “But more of the takedowns were ones I hadn’t really learned yet.”
The camp also boosted her confidence in the upcoming season. “Yes,” she said simply, when asked if she felt more confident going into the new season.
Her favorite clinician to work with was Avila. “He was pretty cool,” she said. “He helped with a lot of stuff and really showed the moves clearly.”
Gutierrez said the camp also gave her the chance to connect with other wrestlers. “I did make some new friends,” she said.
To girls who might be unsure about trying wrestling, Gutierrez had some advice. “It’s a good sport,” she said. “Even if people tell you that you shouldn’t do it, you should still do it. It’s a fun sport, and it has a lot of stuff that deals with the head — it really helps you build a better mindset. Plus, you can make new friends and travel.”
Champ Camp started with a conversation, said Craft, who co-founded the No Escape Wrestling Academy (N.E.W.A.) with partner Ernesto Lopez.
“I brought my son to a wrestling camp at CMU and sparked a conversation with a grandmother, Yvonne Weber, who brought one of her grandsons to the same camp,” Craft said. “She said they had trouble getting anyone to come to a small town with only 15 or so kids in wrestling, from kindergarten through 12th grade.”
With years of coaching experience and connections across the wrestling world, Craft said he was confident he could help.
“I told her, ‘I’m willing to give it a go,’” he said.
That first year, Craft partnered with Celia Weber, who manages the Valley Community Center (VCC), and came up with the camp’s name: Champ Camp. They brought in University of Wyoming wrestler Montorie Bridges to lead the clinic.
“The following year, Champ Camp 2.0, we brought in Stephen Buchanan — a teammate of Montorie — and our numbers jumped up to roughly 25 kids,” Craft said. “We felt like we were on to something.”
By Champ Camp 3.0, attendance had grown to 35 wrestlers. Just one night before the event, the two headlining Division I wrestlers canceled.
“At 9 p.m., we were in a pickle,” Craft said. He quickly reached out to CMU wrestler Marissa Gallegos, one of the top women’s wrestlers in the country. Gallegos drove through the night and arrived Saturday morning ready to lead the clinic.
“She rocked Baggs, opening new doors to the fastest growing sport — women’s wrestling,” Craft said.
Champ Camp 4.0 drew 65 kids and featured the return of Gallegos, plus a special guest from Penn State — one of the top college programs in the country. That wrestler also happened to be coaching at CMU, bringing the camp full circle to where it all began.
Champ Camp 5.0, this year’s event, brought in its biggest lineup yet: Avila, Bowen, Casey, and Cole Brooks from the University of Wyoming. On day two, Bo Pipher returned to close out the weekend.
“Those young men really brought that fun energy the kids fed off of,” Craft said. “We saw many connections made — hopefully inspiring them to continue the long journey and trust the process.”
After a hard day on the mats, Craft said it’s tradition for kids to head to the Sage Stop for ice cream and then over to the Cowboy Inn, which hosts both visiting families and a local bar and grill.
“This has really grown to be something special,” he said. “The community support is unmatched.”
Next year, Craft confirmed that Champ Camp 6.0 will welcome back Buchanan, now a National Champion at the University of Iowa, as well as Penn State’s Josh Barr.
As for the future, Craft said the long-term vision goes beyond just the next camp. “There’s nothing better than seeing our Champ Camp T-shirts all over the nation at tournaments and other camps,” he said. “Kids wear what they like — and that shows us we’re putting out a good product.”
Craft said he dreams of his sons, who have been part of the camp since day one, eventually taking the reins.
“They’ve been there early in the mornings putting mats out and cleaning, and late at night tearing down,” he said. “These are big goals for their future, but we set the bar high — putting Baggs on the map, one Champ Camp at a time.”
As for Gutierrez, she’s bringing more than just new moves to the mat this season. With sharpened skills, new friendships and a boost of confidence, the experience in Baggs is one she won’t soon forget.
